[mrscotchguy]

isolation is excellent. no noise leakage out at all even at uncomfortable listening volumes. passive noise isolation is quite good. if playing music at normal listening volumes with the TV at low to normal volumes in the background, you will not hear the TV at all.

edit: no noise leakage even at PAINFUL listening volumes, just run the test almost maxed out the volume on my Schiit Lyr 2 (on low impedance) and no noise leakage at all. thought I was going to go deaf hahaha.

Damn... I might have to order these now. I have a Oppo dealer in my city, just trying to convince them to get a few units in.

 

[money4me247]

Damn... I might have to order these now. I have a Oppo dealer in my city, just trying to convince them to get a few units in.

okay, slightly exaggeration there. the volume setting was 1 o'clock on my Lyr 2 at low impedance when you can begin to hear the music from 10 feet away on the PM3s. 1 o'clock for me is extremely uncomfortable listening volume with these headphones. I was afraid to go very much further on the volume pot while these headphones are plugged in. The Lyr 2 can max out to 5 o'clock.
 
for my hardest to drive headphones, the HE-560s, I never go beyond 11 o'clock volume setting during normal listening volumes.
 
for the PM-3s, my normal listening volume on the Lyr 2 is at 9 o'clock.

 

[marcoarment]

I've been testing the PM-3 all day and added it to my portable headphone mega-review.
 
In short: it's fantastic.
 
Sound is very balanced, with a slight treble roll-off and a strong midrange presence. There's a little bit of midrange harshness with some music, but overall it's a very good sound for the price (and for a closed headphone). It's not as good as ortho flagships, of course, but you also can't bring them on a plane.
 
Comfort is very good (although they're a bit heavier than average for the category), and passive isolation is great.
 
The PM-3 is a winner for sure.

 

[CaptainHook]

In response to 5Thumbs' post,
 
New here, I've been lurking off and on. Your post caught my eye. I am considering returning the PM-3 for the PM-2 and keeping the HA-2. I had the same experience as you did regarding auditioning the PM-2 plus HA-1 at the Mountain View store. I really liked that combination, the sound was jaw-dropping but so was the purchase price. I'm wondering if you get close to the same sound with the PM-2 plus HA-2 as you heard with the PM-2 plus HA-1. I want that livelier soundstage that the open headphones give you. The PM-3 connected straight to the headphone jack of my iPhone 6 has a small soundstage and a very forward midrange. I think that forward midrange is due more to the internal DAC of the iPhone than sound signature of the Oppo PM-3. The sound gets a bit harsh playing straight from the iPhone when trying to approach live volumes. I only got optimal sound when listening to an HDCD recording of 'Jazz at the Pawnshop' (a special Japanese pressing I found years ago through eBay) through my PC with the HA-2 through USB connection to my computer. Pairing the PM-3 with the HA-2  to the iPhone through the lightning connector immediately improves the balance of bass, mid-range, and high frequency and improves separation of voices, (the midrange recesses back into balance and maybe there is a slight boost in high frequency, occasionally I felt some mixes sounded a bit too bright with the HA-2) but the overall sound pales in comparison to the PM-2 plus HA-1 on even standard CD quality playbacks from my iPhone, when I dropped into the MV store several months ago. I remember silky mid-range vocals without a perception of a veil separating you from the vocalist and deeper more realistic bass sounds with the PM-2. Better sound was also influenced by balanced cables from the HA-1 to the PM-2 and class A amplification. There was no need to increase the volume levels to try to get that live sound because everything was so clean sounding,. If the sound of the PM-2/HA-2 combo doesn't come close to the PM-2/HA-1 combo I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and find a way to buy the better equipment.

 

[Stillhart]

  In response to 5Thumbs' post,
 
New here, I've been lurking off and on. Your post caught my eye. I am considering returning the PM-3 for the PM-2 and keeping the HA-2. I had the same experience as you did regarding auditioning the PM-2 plus HA-1 at the Mountain View store. I really liked that combination, the sound was jaw-dropping but so was the purchase price. I'm wondering if you get close to the same sound with the PM-2 plus HA-2 as you heard with the PM-2 plus HA-1. I want that livelier soundstage that the open headphones give you. The PM-3 connected straight to the headphone jack of my iPhone 6 has a small soundstage and a very forward midrange. I think that forward midrange is due more to the internal DAC of the iPhone than sound signature of the Oppo PM-3. The sound gets a bit harsh playing straight from the iPhone when trying to approach live volumes. I only got optimal sound when listening to an HDCD recording of 'Jazz at the Pawnshop' (a special Japanese pressing I found years ago through eBay) through my PC with the HA-2 through USB connection to my computer. Pairing the PM-3 with the HA-2  to the iPhone through the lightning connector immediately improves the balance of bass, mid-range, and high frequency and improves separation of voices, (the midrange recesses back into balance and maybe there is a slight boost in high frequency, occasionally I felt some mixes sounded a bit too bright with the HA-2) but the overall sound pales in comparison to the PM-2 plus HA-1 on even standard CD quality playbacks from my iPhone, when I dropped into the MV store several months ago. I remember silky mid-range vocals without a perception of a veil separating you from the vocalist and deeper more realistic bass sounds with the PM-2. Better sound was also influenced by balanced cables from the HA-1 to the PM-2 and class A amplification. There was no need to increase the volume levels to try to get that live sound because everything was so clean sounding,. If the sound of the PM-2/HA-2 combo doesn't come close to the PM-2/HA-1 combo I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and find a way to buy the better equipment.

 
I haven't heard the PM-2 yet (the loaner will be here next week!) not the HA-1 but I've heard similar headphones and DAC/Amps.  My main setup right now is an HE-560 and NFB-28, which are both in the same categories.  But I can tell you that you're comparing apples to oranges in both the DAC/Amp and the headphones.  They're not even in the same league, and we wouldn't expect it for the price, right? 
 
The more powerful desktop amp and more expensive DAC implementation in the HA-1 will do great things to the sound on almost any headphone.  It's also running in balanced mode, which tends to help with the soundstage and imaging.  And of course, it's not fair to compare a closed, portable headphone to an open one since they're meant for different purposes.

 

[DemonFox]

Can anyone comment on isolation?

 
Isolation is top notch. Best I've heard. Sound leakage is basically zero. I've cranked it with my Galaxy Note 4 to 15 and there was little to no leakage. I wish I had these a week earlier when I was flying for 5 plus hours. They isolate unlike any other closed can I've owned or tried. 
 
Speaking of playing at high levels because there are no spikes (if you haven't heard yet these are very flat) in any area they can be played at really high volumes without sounding like crap. They have this a lot in common with the Alpha Dogs. 
 
I was going to compare these to the T5p's but to be honest its not really worth it. The PM-3 is a very good very neutral headphone with mid leaning focus but they are not on the same level as the T5p's. Totally different class. 
 
Still liking what I'm hearing so I'll dig more into details later. 
 
 
Thanks,
 
 

 

[marcoarment]

Agree on the excellent isolation.

We may have had very different T5p experiences. I couldn't bear it and thought it sounded awful, honestly. One of my biggest disappointments in any headphone. Maybe I got a lemon. At any rate, the PM-3 is far superior to the T5p I heard.

 

[DemonFox]

Agree on the excellent isolation.

We may have had very different T5p experiences. I couldn't bear it and thought it sounded awful, honestly. One of my biggest disappointments in any headphone. Maybe I got a lemon. At any rate, the PM-3 is far superior to the T5p I heard.

 
Everyone has their own experience which is why its always good to hear them all but I don't see how anyone can say the PM-3 is better than the T5p's. Mids are good and bass extends lower but they are much slower and have half the sound stage. 
 
What was your problem with the T5p? I admit they definitely aren't perfect but awful is a big stretch. Then again I thought the LCD-XC sounded awful so... 
 
The PM-3's is a very cool headphone first and foremost but its soundstage is very very slim. I'll spend some more time with them to see if things change but I still like what I'm hearing so far. 
 
 
 
Thanks,
 
 

 

[marcoarment]

  What was your problem with the T5p? I admit they definitely aren't perfect but awful is a big stretch.

 
The ones I bought two weeks ago (and were so bad that I returned them) sounded pretty thin overall and had noticeable telephone-like midrange distortion — not bad enough that I'd say they were obviously broken, but plausibly bad enough that this may just be how the T5p sounds.
 
I couldn't believe it at first — after months of researching, trying to rent one, and finally giving up on the rental waiting list and buying one, I had extremely high hopes that I'd finally found a great-sounding headphone that also isolates well, and I could sell my nearly-open-backed TH900. But the sound quality was nowhere near other flagships in the $1400 price range — the $400 PM-3 doesn't beat it on all fronts, but it's the one I'd rather use when I can't go open-backed.
 
The PM-3 also isolates noticeably better than the T5p, and every other closed headphone I have (which is a lot), both ways — it passed the outward-leaking Nearby Spouse Annoyance Test spectacularly well.

 

[Allanmarcus]

  isolation is excellent. no noise leakage out at all even at uncomfortable listening volumes. passive noise isolation is quite good. if playing music at normal listening volumes with the TV at low to normal volumes in the background, you will not hear the TV at all.
 
edit: no noise leakage even at PAINFUL listening volumes, just run the test almost maxed out the volume on my Schiit Lyr 2 (on low impedance) and no noise leakage at all. thought I was going to go deaf hahaha.

Next time to test the leakage, only play a track of silent music, then turn up the volume all the way. That should not hurt your ears

 

[AudioAficionado]

Hello all,
 
Can someone please do a comparison between the PM-3s and either (or both) the B&O H6s + B&W P7s? I'm looking to buy one of these three and the ATH-M50x; one for a more airy, detailed experience, the other for general monitoring and DJ purposes. Thanks
 
--AudioAficionado

 

[Gnafu the Great]

I'm hoping I can get some impressions comparing these to the NVX XPT100 (my current headphones; same as Brainwavz HM5 and Fischer FA-003) and the NAD Viso HP50 (the headphones I was primarily considering before the PM-3 was announced). Specifically, I'm looking for a comparison of the soundstage. From this thread, it sounds like they're a winner in the isolation department. I'm worried I'd be losing too much in the soundstage to gain some portability and isolation. My XPT100s are pretty open-sounding.

If the HP50s are a good balance between the two, I'd probably save some money and get those instead. I love the look of the PM-3s, and everyone's comments sound amazing so far. I'm just worried about some comments about a smaller soundstage and hoping people saying that are just really used to open headphones .

 

[goldendarko]

http://www.marco.org/headphones-closed-portable

Someone just posted this very thorough review a few posts above, specifically mentioning the NAD & B&O headphones, think he put it # 2 after the B&O's in a ranking of many comparable headphones.

 

[marcoarment]

^^^ Yup, that's me. Thanks!
 
Quote:

  Can someone please do a comparison between the PM-3s and either (or both) the B&O H6s + B&W P7s? I'm looking to buy one of these three and the ATH-M50x; one for a more airy, detailed experience, the other for general monitoring and DJ purposes.

 
The PM-3 and B&O H6 are in a close race for my favorite. Physically, H6 is significantly lighter, slimmer on the head, and has more color options. The H6's earpads are smaller, shallower, and firmer than the PM-3's, but the H6 is so much lighter with less clamping force that I still give it the overall edge in comfort, but it's a close call. Both are extremely comfortable. The H6 isolates decently, but the PM-3 isolates better, from both sound leaking inward and outward.
 
Sound-wise, they're both very good examples of two very different tones. The H6 has strong treble for a crisp, detailed sound, but is very light on the bass; the PM-3 has a nice amount of bass (good audiophile bass, not Beats bass), but with noticeably weaker treble for a less-detailed sound. Both have nice clear and present midranges.
 
I haven't tried the ATH-M50x, but compared to other studio monitor headphones I have (HD 280, HD 380, MDR-7506), both the H6 and PM-3 are good enough and close enough to neutral to serve that role, at least sound-wise (mechanically, your needs may differ). My inclination would be that the PM-3 might serve it better due to its better isolation and possibly better all-day comfort due to the larger, deeper pads.
 

I'm hoping I can get some impressions comparing these to the NVX XPT100 (my current headphones; same as Brainwavz HM5 and Fischer FA-003) and the NAD Viso HP50 (the headphones I was primarily considering before the PM-3 was announced). Specifically, I'm looking for a comparison of the soundstage. From this thread, it sounds like they're a winner in the isolation department. I'm worried I'd be losing too much in the soundstage to gain some portability and isolation. My XPT100s are pretty open-sounding.

If the HP50s are a good balance between the two, I'd probably save some money and get those instead. I love the look of the PM-3s, and everyone's comments sound amazing so far. I'm just worried about some comments about a smaller soundstage and hoping people saying that are just really used to open headphones .

 
I'm not familiar with your headphones, but I've compared the PM-3 back-to-back with the NAD HP50 and PSB M4U 1 (which sound nearly identical, with the M4U being the more comfortable of the two).
 
None of the three sound anything like open headphones — even old, inexpensive open headphones like the DT-880 sound better than all three. But bringing open headphones to a closed-headphone sound-quality comparison isn't fair.
 
The HP50/M4U both sound better than the PM-3 to me, overall. Also, none of these have great soundstages, but the HP50/M4U have wider soundstages than the PM-3. The PM-3 isolates better both ways, but the difference isn't massive.
 
But the HP50/M4U are much worse for portability. They barely fold, their smartphone clickers are terrible, and they're big, clunky, and ugly. If you'll be at a desk all day, the M4U 1 is probably the best one to get out of these, but if you plan to take it anywhere or use a smartphone cable, go with the PM-3.

 

[money4me247]

  Hello all,
 
Can someone please do a comparison between the PM-3s and either (or both) the B&O H6s + B&W P7s? I'm looking to buy one of these three and the ATH-M50x; one for a more airy, detailed experience, the other for general monitoring and DJ purposes. Thanks
 
--AudioAficionado

hey, the oppo pm3 is a noticeable sonic upgrade from the ath-50x if you aren't looking for a v-shaped sound signature. i personally thought the p7s were overpriced for their sound quality, but they do have a cool folding design. never had the chance to hear the bo h6s yet. hope this helps.
 
if you are looking to buy two pairs of headphones, i would suggest getting one closed for portable usage and one open for home usage if you do not require noise isolation at home.